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Most Faked ID States, and How to Read Them

Which state IDs turn up faked most, why the familiar ones are the trap, and the features to check on the cards you see all night.

The most commonly faked ID states, a Carded guide, over a photo of a bar entrance
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Guide
Published
August 18, 2026
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3 min
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Bars · Nightclubs · Dispensaries · Events
CardedThe Carded team · August 18, 2026
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Texas. If you check IDs for a living, that's the state you'll see faked most, and it isn't close.

A 2024 analysis of more than 130 million ID scans ranked the most commonly faked ID states, and Texas topped it by a wide margin. Here's the full list, why these states, and how to read the ones you'll actually see at the door.

The states scanners flag most

The 2024 report, based on over 130 million physical ID scans, found more than one in 100 IDs fraudulent among the top states.

Most faked ID states (2024 scan data)
1. Texas
#1 by a wide margin, and the card most likely to get waved through on familiarity. Check the ghost image, laser perforation, microprint, and UV.
2. South Carolina
A high fake share on a design most doors rarely study. Don't assume you know it; compare it to a reference.
3. Arizona
Common on fakes, uncommon at the door. That gap is where a bad ID slips through.
4. Washington, D.C.
A small jurisdiction most staff can't picture from memory. Unfamiliar is exactly when to slow down.
5. New Mexico
Rounds out the top five. If you can't picture the real one, pull a guide before you decide.

At the other end, the fewest fakes turned up on Massachusetts, Iowa, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Missouri IDs. The top state's fake rate ran about 20 times the lowest.

Why these states

The ranking surprises people who expect the biggest states by population. It's about the share of scanned IDs that came back fake, not raw volume.

Texas is the exception that proves the pattern. It's on top partly because its license is familiar nationwide, so staff assume they know it and stop checking.

Big, populous states like California and Florida still produce huge raw numbers of fakes, just spread across far more real IDs. The volume is why "how to spot a fake California ID" gets searched so often. The method is the same for any state, and it's covered in how to spot a fake ID.

How to read the one in your hand: Texas

Since it's the one you'll see faked most, know it cold. On a genuine Texas license, the features counterfeiters miss are the ones to check:

  • Ghost image. A faint second copy of the photo. Confirm it's there and matches the main one.
  • Laser perforation. Tiny holes that form an image, visible when you hold the card to a light.
  • Microprint. Fine text that reads as a solid line until you look closely; fakes reproduce it as a blur.
  • UV features. Under a blacklight, a genuine card reveals designs invisible in normal light.

Then the physical tells that cross every state: a raised or bumpy surface where data was overlaid, peeling edges, and fonts that don't match the rest of the card.

Where the scan fits

Knowing the top states doesn't change what a scanner does. The barcode on a fake still reads, so a scan won't tell you the card is counterfeit, more on that in do fake IDs scan.

What the scan does is the age math, instantly and the same way every time, and it leaves the record. That's what a fake ID scanner actually protects: proof you checked, not proof the card is real.

So use both halves. Let the scan read the age and log the check, and give the card, especially a Texas one, the trained look the barcode can't.

Carded reads the barcode, checks age, flags expired, and catches the passback, then keeps a clean record with no personal details stored. The age check and the proof, so your eyes stay on the card. See how it works.

Frequently asked questions

What state IDs are faked the most?

A 2024 analysis of more than 130 million ID scans put Texas at number one, followed by South Carolina, Arizona, Washington, D.C., and New Mexico. Among the top states, more than one in 100 IDs in circulation were fraudulent. Texas leads by a wide margin, in part because its license is familiar enough that people stop looking closely.

What are the fake ID states to avoid accepting without a close look?

The ones that turn up faked most: Texas, South Carolina, Arizona, Washington, D.C., and New Mexico. That doesn't mean refuse them, it means don't wave them through on familiarity. Check the physical security features and let a scanner handle the age math.

How do you spot a fake Texas ID?

On a genuine Texas license, check the ghost image, laser perforation, microprint, and UV features, the details counterfeiters most often miss. A raised or bumpy surface, peeling edges, or mismatched fonts are red flags. The barcode still scans on a fake, so use the scan for age and your eyes for the card.

Which states have the fewest fake IDs?

The same 2024 report found the lowest share of fakes in Massachusetts, Iowa, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Missouri. The top state's fake rate ran about 20 times higher than the lowest. Less common at your door isn't the same as safe, but these show up faked far less often.

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